SMITH & WESSON PISTOLS: LEVER ACTION, ANTIQUEPistols were produced in Norwich CT in 1853-1855 using the 1854 patent of Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson. The pistol fired a projectile that was chambered in the pistol using a newly designed lever action mechanism. The pistol was loaded by inserting the ammunition into a integral tube located below the barrel when the follower was moved forward and rotated, exposing the loading tube. The barrel assembly contained a steel spring and follower that aided in the loading of the ammunition into the receiver. This design was later perfected in the Henry rifle. The pistol was produced in two different models.

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